Groom Lake: Area 51 base completed for U-2
In July 1955, construction finished at Groom Lake in Nevada, enabling CIA and US Air Force use for Project Aquatone to develop the Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. The site included basic facilities and housed key personnel under base commander Richard Newton.
Background
Establishment of the Base
In July 1955, construction of the Groom Lake facility in Nevada was completed, which became known as Area 51. The CIA and the US Air Force used it jointly for Project Aquatone, the nation's first aerial espionage programme, to test the Lockheed U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The base had a paved runway, three hangars, a control tower, a makeshift canteen, and basic accommodation. A cinema and a volleyball court were added later.
Personnel and Organizations
Richard Newton, a CIA officer, took the role of base commander. The facility was occupied by four Lockheed test pilots, some two dozen company mechanics and engineers, a few CIA staff in security roles, and personnel under Colonel Ritland. Important bodies such as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the US Navy, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency were briefed on the existence of Area 51.
Significance
This development marked the beginning of secret aircraft testing in an isolated location near the Nevada Test Site, which made the base a central place for aviation innovation. The strict secrecy underlined its role in the Cold War.